Groups for readers and writers

A. Teenvision

This is a reading group for teens aged 12–16 which meets on the last Thursday of the month. We are a friendly group, with everybody keen to talk about what we’ve enjoyed reading recently and make suggestions on what we should read next. We are massive fans of action, fantasy and adventure but we try to include a mix of genres in our choices.

B. Creative writing workshops

Would you like to share your writing with others and hear their constructive suggestions for how to improve it? Have you got a book inside you but need the inspiration to get started? Build your confidence to begin formulating ideas for storylines and characters at our regular workshops. Open to all – beginners and established writers.

C. Books for now

We meet on the second and fourth Mondays of each month in members’ homes. The group is open to men and women who enjoy discussing the themes and issues found in science fiction novels. Our books are usually those written from the 1960s onwards and include feminist science fiction, cyberpunk and scientific romance.

D. Readers’ book group

This is an open group for parents at the library, and toddlers are welcome to come along and play in the children’s library while the meeting is taking place. The group reads mainly fiction of different genres. Books are supplied by the library. Anyone is welcome – have a look at our website to see what the book is for the next meeting.

E. The book club

Every month members of this group read a fabulous business book which is then discussed when we meet. The group is open to anyone and members include men and women from all kinds of backgrounds. We meet in a relaxed environment where there’s lots of ideas to discuss, as well as the business benefits of the book.

F. Poetry writing for youth

A writing group for young poets aged between 12 and 18 at the library. You will develop and share your poetry in a supportive team, and your poems will be displayed in the library for everyone to read. Meetings take place on Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. The group is free to join, and anyone interested is welcome to turn up.

SECTION 2 - Questions 15–27

Read the text below and answer Questions 15–22.

Mechanical lifting equipment

If some simple precautions are taken, lifting equipment that is essential for construction and engineering projects can be used safely. Forklift trucks, lifting trolleys, mobile and fixed cranes and all their parts are classed as lifting equipment.

All equipment used for lifting or moving heavy loads should be properly constructed. For example, equipment bearing a CE mark has been constructed to international standards. In addition, equipment that meets these standards will have documented instructions for tests that should be adhered to prior to using the equipment. Certain types of machinery, such as cranes, must be inspected by a qualified engineer on a six-monthly basis.

For operations that use cranes, a formal lift plan must be prepared. Lift plans are a type of risk assessment, whereby the possible dangers of the operation are carefully calculated, and control measures are identified and put in place. Before any lift proceeds, the plan should be talked over with the lifting crew during what is often referred to as a 'Tool Box Talk' (TBT). This is an important opportunity for them to ask questions about their role in the operation.

When heavy loads are being moved around, there are some practical things that should be done to prevent accidents. Firstly, if a load needs to be moved where workers or members of the public may be at risk, it is important to ensure that no one walks beneath it. Another precaution is to ensure that while a lift is moving slowly, someone is in place to provide directions to the crane driver. When a building has been constructed using lifting equipment, especially during construction shutdowns, persons should check the area carefully.

It is not unusual for machinery such as cranes to fail. However, it is all too easy to ignore the importance of the secondary lifting equipment. If items such as chains and shackles are not strong enough, the entire operation may be at risk. To ensure continued safety, secondary lifting equipment should be inspected and checked to make sure there are no signs of wear or damage to the slings and shackles.

Read the text below and answer Questions 23–27.

Dealing with customer complaints

When a customer complains, it is usually for a good reason. Here are some strategies that will help you handle a customer complaint in a smooth and professional manner.

When a customer presents you with a complaint, keep in mind that the issue is not personal. Aiming to win the confrontation accomplishes nothing. He or she has usually made a purchase that did not meet their expectations – a product, service, or maybe a combination of the two. A worker who remains in control of their emotions deals from a position of strength.

Let the customer say what they need to. Respond with phrases such as, ‘Hmm’, ‘I see’, and ‘Tell me more’. Then be quiet. As the customer expresses their annoyance yet sees you are not reacting, he or she will begin to relax. The customer needs to do this before being able to hear your solution.

When the customer has calmed down and feels you have heard his or her side, start asking questions. Be careful not to give scripted replies but use this as an opportunity to start a genuine conversation, building a relationship of trust with your customer. To help you understand the situation, get as many details as possible.

Take charge of the situation and let the customer know what you are going to do to solve the problem. One thing to keep in mind is that you should know what you can and cannot offer the public if the business you work for. The cost could be minimal – a simple gesture like a discount on the customer’s next purchase or a small gift certificate. A small gesture like this could result in a word-of-mouth recommendation to others, while making a promise you cannot commit to will only set you back.

White storks back in Britain after hundreds of years

These beautiful birds could be about to become a feature of the British landscape again

A

The last definitive record of a pair of white storks successfully breeding in Britain was in 1416, from a nest on St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. No one knows why storks disappeared from our shores. They often featured on the menus of medieval banquets so we might, quite simply, have consumed them all. But there could be a more ominous reason. Storks are migrants arriving after the end of winter, nesting on rooftops and happily associating with humans, and this is why they have long been a symbol of hope and new life. Yet their association with rebellion also meant they became a symbol of rebellion. Shortly after the restoration of King Charles II in 1660, while storks were rare but surviving, parliament debated putting greater effort into destroying them entirely for fear they might inspire republicanism. Fortunately, that notion has disappeared and the stork retains its association with new life, appearing on cards given to celebrate the arrival of a new child, as a bird carrying a baby in a sling held in its beak.

B

So, after such a long absence, there was great excitement when in April of this year a pair of white storks built an untidy nest of sticks in the top branches of a huge oak tree on the pioneering rewilding project at Knepp Estate in West Sussex. Drone footage, taken before the pair started sitting on them, showed three large eggs. The fact that they were infertile was not a huge surprise, as these birds are only four years old and did not reach maturity until next year, so it was one of their first attempts to breed. The Knepp birds are part of an effort to bring the stork back to Britain. They have been imported from Poland and raised in large pens at Knepp and other locations. There is a hope that these semi-wild birds will return to their release sites after spending years migrating. The plan is already working: some storks released in Alsace, France, more than 30 years ago, found their way back to the same site to breed. Two summers ago, a young bird from Knepp was recorded on the west coast of Morocco.

C

In the face of reports of unrelenting ecological loss (the UN estimates a million species are at risk of extinction), the return of one bird species is heartening news. As the thousands of global commitments made to curb the climate crisis falter, news of one species doing well stands out. When a Sussex Wildlife Trust member told the BBC last week he thought the project was pointless and that Chris Packham described it as "imaginative", it seemed telling.

D

And yet its path to restoration in the UK has not been smooth. Support from conservation bodies has been lukewarm at best, with some arguing that storks found their own way here without human assistance. Others have even raised doubts about the stork ever having been a British bird. They also had concerns that English-bred birds would migrate across the Channel and feared that their messy nests and closeness to humans would cause a hazard—rubbish falling down people's chimneys.

So how has the reintroduction project managed to get going? What has made the difference is that it has not had to rely on private individuals actually building the introduction sites themselves and feeding the birds at their own expense. The expertise of a few determined conservation charities such as the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation—responsible for the successful reintroductions of ospreys and white-tailed eagles to Britain—has been very welcome. The involvement of Cotswold Wildlife Park, which quarantined the original Polish birds and continues to manage and cover the costs of the captive-breeding programme using its own well-trained staff and excellent facilities, has proved invaluable.

E

Across Europe, as stock populations have suffered from the draining of wetlands and disappearance of insect-rich pastures and meadows, their loss has been deeply felt. A year ago, a tearful old woman in France was seen watching the first white stork fly over for the first time in her life. In countries where the birds have been reintroduced, they are greeted with great happiness and some historical stork festivals have been revived. The Spanish expect storks to bring them good news, and in Alsace, householders install cartwheels for storks to build nests on their roofs. During a cold snap in Bulgaria last March, villagers even gave storks access to their homes.

F

A driving motivation behind the project in the UK is the aspiration that the storks' return will spark feelings of empathy and affection in people who encounter their nests on rooftops. They might help encourage the public to feel well about where they live and take pride in their surroundings. Conservationists working on wildlife schemes hope that charismatic species which connect humans with nature directly will encourage enthusiasm for the broader changes that need to come. This is the rationale behind the beaver reintroduction and the return of wild boars. The public response to beavers has been overwhelmingly positive. Storks' folklore has been positive, as well as people's reactions over hundreds of years, and various groups have lobbied to allow for more introduction sites.

The flight of the white stork over Britain is the triumph of practical action over bureaucracy, self-interest, and negativity.